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of Wrangling and Mistakes) upon the Head of Miracles, which has any real Oppofition to you. And I fhall conclude it with the Judgments of three very learned and ingenious Men, the two first whereof are your particular Adverfaries, and have a direct View to what you have faid in your Difcourfe about Miracles.

(0) Dr. SHERLOCK fays one of the Characters, which our Saviour conftantly affumes and claims in the Gospel, is This, that he is the Perfon fpoken of by MOSES and the Prophets. Whether he is this Perfon, or no, must be try'd by the Words of Prophely; and This makes the Argument from Prophefy jo far neceffary to eftablish the Claim of the Gospel; and it has been very juftly, as well as acutely obferved, (viz. by the Author of the Difcourfe of the Grounds) that the Proof of this Point must rely intirely on the Evidence of Prophefy. Miracles in this Cafe afford no Help. If the Prophets have not spoken of CHRIST, all the Miracles in the World will not prove they have spoken of him. And he fays, That as (p) Truth is confiftent with itself, so this Claim must be made out, or it deftroys all others.

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Mr. SYKES (q) fays, There are a great many Perfons, who conceive, that Chriftianity is fufficiently proved to be true, if the "Miracles and Refurrection of JESUS are true; even without any Regard to the Pro

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(0) Sherlock's Ufe and Intent of Prophefies, p. 49.

p. 50. p. 2.

(p) 1b.

(2) Sykes's Eay on the Truth of the Chriftian Religion,

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phefies fo often appeal'd to by him. But fuppofing the Miracles to be true; yet no Miracles can prove That, which is falfe in itself, to be true. If therefore the Meffiab "be not foretold in the Old Testament, no "Miracles can prove JESUS to be the Meffiah "foretold; nay, 'tis a ftronger Argument to prove JESUS to be an Impoftor, that he appeal'd to Prophefies, which were Prophefies, and, by that Means, impofed upon the ignorant People, than 'tis, that he came from God, merely because he work'd "Miracles. Falfe Chrifts and falle Prophets may arife, and may fhew fuch great Signs and "Wonders, as to deceive, if it were poffible, the very Elect, Mat.xxiv. 24. Yet no one from "thence would argue, that thofe falfe Chrifts are true ones; nor would any one conclude, that a Man came from God, notwithstanding any "Miracles he might do, if he appeal'd to Scripture for That, which is no where in it.

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"Befides, what Notions of common Morality must he have, who pretends to come "from God, and declares that the Scriptures

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testify of him, John v. 39. if the Scriptures "do not teftify of him? What Honefty, "what Truth, or Sincerity, must he have, "who could begin at Moses and all the Prophets, and expound unto his Difciples in all "the Scriptures, the Things concerning himself. "Luke xxiv. 27. if neither MOSES nor the

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Prophets ever spoke a Word about him? "The Prophets therefore must be confider'd, "and the Foundation of Christianity muft

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"be laid on them, or elfe, to avoid one Difficulty, we shall be forced into fuch "Abfurdities, as no Man can palliate, much "lefs can extricate himself out of."

Laftly, Dr. (r) ALLIX tells us, that the Defign of the four Evangelifts is to prove that JESUS the Son of MARY is the promised Meffiah; and that in his Birth, his Life, his Doctrine, his Death, and Refurrection, we meet with all the Characters, which the Prophets attributed to the Meffiah. And he says, that (s) Miracles were to move and difpofe Men to the receiving the Truth; but Proofs and Arguments, from the Old Teftament, were the proper Means to convince their Hearers of the Truth of it. And, I humbly conceive, should any one, in Virtue of the Paffages cited from thefe learned Men, attack them as maintaining, that the Facts of the New Teftament were to be proved by Prophefy, and not by Teftimony, as Mr. GREEN does you, for maintaining the fame commonly received Notions in Divinity with them, he would juftly pass for a Perfon incapable of ever understanding Matters of Divinity, unless they would fuppofe him to have fuch a juft Infight and Knowledge of Mankind, as to know, that he may represent an Adversary as he pleases, speak to one Point when he should fpeak to another, and indeed fay whatever he pleafes, either against common Senfe or Morality, with the Applaufe of those, whofe Applause only it, perhaps, concerns him to obtain.

(r) Allix's Reflect. on the Books of the New Teftament, p. 176, 177· (s) Judgment against the Unit. p. 53.

II. Mr.

II.

Mr. GREEN, in his fecond Letter, propofes to prove against you, that (t) it is reasonable to receive that Doctrine as divine, which is confirm'd by Miracles; That is, if he will oppofe you, that it is reasonable to receive JESUS for the Meffiah, on Account of the Miracles wrought by him, without Regard to any Tryal or Proof of his Meffiahship from the Old Teftament. For I do not know that you have afferted any Thing in your Difcourfe upon the Head of Miracles, as Proofs of a diyine Authority, but what is faid by all Divines of Learning and Understanding, in the Cafe. You affert, that they are not abfolute Proofs of a divine Authority, as they all do; but advance nothing against their Force, when confider'd as Proofs or Motives in a lower Senfe; nay, you fuppofe, according to the common Notion, that they are, in their Nature, a (u) Confirmation of a Miffion.

However, tho' Mr. GREEN does not really oppofe you, and talks to a Question of his own framing, (which I allow he may through Mistake take to be the Question, as well as invidiously make the Queftion;) yet he having laid down the general Propofition beforemention'd, and attempted to prove it, we have a Right to expect that Proof from him, as, indeed, we have of every Thing he pre

(t) Letters, p. 26..

(u). Difcourfe, &c. p. 34.

tends

tends to advance against you; for indeed, nothing can be more improper, than to advance fo many Things without Proofs, as he does, in Letters to you, whom he fuppofes an Infidel, and must fuppofe pay no Regard, but That of Contempt to him, for his mere Afsertions, as if you were one of his old Women; for whose Edification he feems only to write.

Accordingly I fhall confider what he says. He proposes to prove his Point by eafy Steps in fifteen Propofitions.

But his whole Proof lies in his eighth, which affirms," (w) that God may affure us, that "fuch a Doctrine is a Revelation from him

by fome extraordinary Works, That is, "Works contrary to, or befides the known and common Laws, or Courfe of Nature and Pro"vidence; as for Inftance, the causing the "Sun and the Moon to ftand ftill in the Midft "of Heaven, or making one Day about as long as two, as Joh. x. 13. There is no

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Abfurdity in fuppofing that fuch Works may "be wrought, and for this End, the affuring "Men that fuch a Doctrine is a Revelation "from God. And if his doing fome extraordinary Works is not proper to answer this End, he does not fee any Thing that can be thought to be fo."

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To which I answer, that it is very true, God may affure us that fuch a Doctrine is a Revelation from him, by extraordinary Works. &c. But then it must appear, by fome Rea

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